Cabela’s announced today that it plans to open two new stores in the Denver metropolitan area by next year.

The Sidney, Neb. outfitter of hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, said construction on locations in Thornton and Lone Tree will begin this fall with both locations scheduled for opening in 2013.

Cabela’s spokesman Wes Remmer said that each store will have about 150 employees.

The stores will be Cabela’s second and third in Colorado, joining the Grand Junction location.

“Because of the longstanding loyalty of our customers in the Centennial State, the abundance of outdoor opportunities across the region and Denver’s proximity to Cabela’s headquarters, its the perfect situation to open two stores,” said Cabela’s chief executive Tommy Millner . “This is the first time we’ve simultaneously announced two stores in the same metropolitan area so that says a lot about how we feel about the Denver area. It’s a landmark day.”

The 110,000-square-foot Lone Tree store will be located in Douglas County south of Denver in the new RidgeGate Commons development along I-25 at RidgeGate Parkway.

“We enthusiastically celebrate and welcome the arrival of Cabela’s into the Douglas County community,” said Jill Repella , Douglas County Commissioner.

The 90,000-square-foot Thornton store will be located north of Denver in a new retail development along Interstate 25 at 144th Avenue.

The new development will be located on the southeast quadrant of the interchange and is being developed by Thornton Development, LLC, an affiliate of THF Development .

“This is great news for the City of Thornton. City Council has wanted to bring jobs and development to this important corridor to Thornton for quite a while,” said Thornton Mayor Heidi Williams.

The city of Thornton said the new Cabela’s store in Thornton is scheduled to open midyear 2013 . The city said Cabela’s will be part of the new 63-acre retail development approved by the Thornton City Council.

“It’s an incredible opportunity to bring this icon retail concept to the market. With Cabela’s leading the way at the center, we anticipate great energy and market anticipation,” said project manager Karen Blumenstein .

The city of Thornton, Cabela’s and THF Development will hold a groundbreaking ceremony later this summer, said the city.

Both stores will be built in Cabela’s next-generation layout, designed to surround customers in an outdoor-like experience with trophy animal mounts and wildlife displays.

Cabela’s currently operates 36 retail stores across the United States and Canada.

Cabela’s, which specializes in merchandise for hunting and fishing enthusiasts, decided last summer to shelve a plan to build a 130,000- square- foot store on the Clear Creek Crossing Development site in Wheat Ridge.

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